"Erik, are you sure about this?"
Alex raised a brow as he looked at the serious-faced Erik standing before him.
Is this guy trying to get himself killed?
"I'm absolutely sure, Alex. Charles' training may work for others, but it's not helping me anymore. I've hit a wall!"
There was a fiery resolve in Erik's eyes—one Alex hadn't seen before.
Clearly, that fight with the fake Shaw had rattled him.
He couldn't beat the real Black King, and now even the fake one beat him down? That had to sting.
"So, Alex, I need you to come at me—for real. Treat me like a true enemy."
"Attack me. Hit me with everything you've got!"
"No holding back!"
Erik's voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt.
Alex felt conflicted. He understood what Erik was trying to do—force a breakthrough by pushing himself to the edge in a real, life-or-death battle.
It wasn't a bad idea in theory.
But Erik had made one major miscalculation.
He picked the wrong sparring partner.
With Alex's current strength, if he actually treated Erik like a real enemy… the guy would be lucky to last five seconds.
Still, considering Erik's powers, Alex thought about it again. Maybe this could be a good chance to practice his heat vision.
After all, vaporizing tennis balls every day was starting to get boring.
"…Fine, Erik. You got it."
Alex nodded, and Erik's face lit up with excitement.
The two of them headed straight to the training grounds, both looking pumped.
Erik had already made preparations.
Who knows where he got all that junk—steel pipes, iron rods, metal tables, chairs, girders, beams—you name it. Basically, anything metallic was piled high and ready for action.
Buzz.
With a simple wave of his hand, all the metal objects floated into the air like loyal servants, hovering behind him in a dramatic display.
It was quite the spectacle.
Alex had to admit—Erik's power was perfect for making a flashy entrance.
"Alex, are you ready?"
Erik looked over with blazing fighting spirit in his eyes. It had been far too long since he had a proper brawl.
Sure, he wasn't as strong as Shaw, but among mutants, he was still one of the elites. The problem was—he rarely met a worthy opponent.
"Come on, Erik. Let's see what you've got."
Alex curled his fingers at him, inviting the fight.
"Is it starting? Is it starting?!"
"Hey! Don't push! I can't see if you keep pushing!"
"I can't see from back here!"
A chorus of whispers and bickering came from outside the training area.
Sean, Raven, and basically every mutant in the facility had swarmed to the edge of the wall, peeking in like a pack of hungry wolves.
Alex vs. Erik—this was the blockbuster event no one wanted to miss.
Miss it, and you'd regret it for life.
Even Darwin and Hank—usually the calm and composed types—had turned into hyperactive huskies, jostling with the crowd like kids at a concert.
The scene was utter chaos.
"What are you all doing?"
Suddenly, a voice spoke up behind them.
Charles had appeared out of nowhere like a ghost.
The crowd of mutants jumped like startled cats. The ones up front lost their balance and tumbled forward in a messy pile.
Like a pack of mutts diving face-first into mud.
"Charles! Uh… we were just… passing by," Sean said, flashing a strained smile.
"Oh hey, Alex! Erik! What a coincidence running into you here!" Raven said with exaggerated surprise.
Erik: "…"
Alex: "…"
Could your acting be any worse?
If you're not good at faking it, maybe don't bother trying.
Charles ignored their antics and walked up for a look. Sure enough, Alex and Erik were squared off, ready to throw down.
It didn't take a telepath to figure out what was going on.
Charles looked outraged.
"Oh, come on—a showdown like this and no one thought to invite me?!"
He stared at the group, full of righteous indignation.
The young mutants all perked up at once. Forget sneaking around—they charged into the training ground like they had front-row tickets to the hottest show in town.
No shame at all.
"Alex! Erik! Start already! We've been waiting forever!"
"Erik, you got this! End Alex's undefeated streak!"
"Pfft, yeah right. Good luck with that."
Everyone was loudly egging them on.
Erik sighed and shook his head.
"Alright, Alex—here I come!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Metal objects came flying like a hurricane, hurtling straight toward Alex.
His eyes instantly glowed red.
Zzzap!
A searing beam of heat vision blasted out, striking a metal pipe mid-air and sending it crashing backward.
Zzzap zzzap zzzap!
The heat vision didn't stop. Alex kept firing in rapid bursts, knocking down one flying hunk of metal after another.
But Erik had sent a lot of scrap his way. It was impossible to shoot them all down in such a short time.
Not that it mattered.
Bang!
Alex threw a casual punch. A three-meter-long steel beam was sent flying like it weighed nothing.
"Alex! Take this seriously! You're insulting me by holding back!"
Erik was clearly annoyed that Alex was only playing defense.
Fine, then.
Alex cracked his neck.
Magneto wants a beatdown? I'll give him a beatdown.
He dashed forward, straight into the storm of incoming metal.
Clang! Bang! Smash!
The sounds of metal crashing echoed nonstop. Alex bulldozed through it all like a tank.
The attacks looked terrifying, but the moment Alex charged in, they scattered like feathers in a tornado.
They couldn't even scratch him—let alone stop him.
Any piece of metal that came near was instantly sent flying with bone-crushing force.
Gulp.
The crowd watching was left slack-jawed.
This guy's body was ridiculous.
Too strong. Too fast. Too tanky.
Was he even human anymore?
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